Over 8 million people call the basin home and over 15 million rely on its waters for drinking and industrial uses and yet, it lacks a coordinated conservation strategy on par with major watersheds around the country, most notably the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

While there are a number of organizations doing outstanding work, the basin lacks a coordinated framework and dedicated federal support to conserve and restore the natural resources, fish and wildlife.

Good point. Hmm, maybe if we had a someone in public service for 30 years, they could have gotten right on that. Maybe if they were let’s say the Governor for eight years, they could have worked with other neighboring governors to work out a plan. Maybe if they were Delaware’s lone Congressman for almost 20 years, they could have introduced legislation building that framework.

Turns out Mike Castle is jumping right on this issue by introducing legislation to protect the watershed.

I introduced The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (H.R. 4698), which employs a voluntary, non-regulatory framework for coordinating conservation efforts, and increases federal resources for on-the-ground projects that get results.

What? Voluntary? I guess that the watershed might not be that important.

The basin has important living resources that need protection, including oysters, migratory birds, fish, wetlands and forests, to name a few.

OK, it is important. So, maybe a voluntary approach is the right way to go.

While this legislation is an important step towards fostering coordination, it will not be effective without the backing of the agencies, organizations and communities that we heavily rely on to be the stewards of our cherished waterways and land areas in the Basin.

” . . . it will not be effective . . . ” Sweet Jebus, Mike, next time one of your staffers writes a piece for you, you might want to read it first.

Comments (4)

What gets me is that even people who should know better, like Alan Mueller, fall for this bullshit every election. During the Spivack race I recall Mueller protesting at some meeting that Democrats should vote for Castle based on his statements favoring conservation, or some shit.

And btw…

…maybe if we had a someone in public service for 30 years, they could have gotten right on that. Maybe if they were let’s say the Governor for eight years, they could have worked with other neighboring governors to work out a plan. Maybe if they were Delaware’s lone Congressman for almost 20 years, they could have introduced legislation building that framework.

There’s a simple reason no such organization exists. I don’t remember the UD prof’s name, but a few years back a TNJ story on some environmental outrage or another put it bluntly: The Delaware River Basin is managed as an industrial waterway, not an environmental area.

All you need for proof is the fact that the DuPont plant at Deepwater now handles industrial waste from all over the state of New Jersey. The plant itself produces far less waste than it was permitted for decades ago, yet it still emits the same amounts of various toxins because they funnel it all there. It’s sort of the anus of New Jersey, and the Delaware River Basin is its toilet.